Mind of the Specter
by TheSealer
Summary: DISCONTINUED! The POVs of all the Mono/Polymophic Specters on Code Lyoko.
1. XANAYumi, the prototype

**I have noticed that many people confounds XANA's specters with XANA himself. But, let me tell you a few things:**

**A: XANA only appeared personaly on episode 'Ghost Channel'. On the other episodes, he send his monsters, specters or William.**

**B: The specters are actually XANA creations and each one carries a fragment of his conscience, but NOT personality. None of the clones or XANAfired people thinks or acts like XANA wuld, personaly.**

**This is why I wrote this. A fic that will show us how a mind of specters works. I'll have you know that I paid very attention to every detail of the episode 'IMAGE PROBLEM' to do this. In the next chapter, I might write about other artificial entyties other than specters.**

**MIND OF A SPECTER**

**Chapter 1: XANA-Yumi, the prototype**

Episode 7: Image Problem

BORN

I started to stir and my eyelids were opened. The first thing my eyeballs detected was rays from a star, which was supposedly the Sun. I felt something grabbing the junction between my left hand and left arm; my wrist.

An adult, yet young female human with blond hair was holding my wrist. She was, undoubtedly measuring my blood pressure. What she didn't acknowledge was that I didn't have blood pressure. In fact, she didn't know I wasn't Yumi Ishyiama or even human. I was a Specter, a prototype of my Master XANA's creation. And I had a mission, divided in steps as the program that was my mind:

**Name:** XANA-YUMI;

**Capabilities**:

**1)**Human strength, speed and fitness;

**2)**Some extra temporary speed and strength, which can only be used when the Eye of XANA appears on my forehead.

**Guidelines****:**

**1)**Preserve my disguise;

**2)**Preserve my own existence;

**3)**Get the humans Ulrich Stern and Odd Della Robia to the Scanner Room, to go to Lyoko;

**3.1)**If I can only get one of those two humans into the Scanners, proceed to guideline **4)**;

**4)**Destroy, disable or unplug the Scanners, while the humans Ulrich Stern and Odd Della Robia were in Lyoko, trapping them and leaving them at my Master's mercy;

**4.1)** If I get the chance of getting the individual Jeremie Belpois in the Scanner or slaying him, I must do it;

**5)**Don't let ANYTHING interfere or stop me from accomplishing my mission.

"Well, feeling better?" – the female, named Yolanda Dorothy Perraudin, according with the Data Base my brain cells were stored with. I immediately backed my hand away; if she found out the slightest proof of what I was, the mission would be in danger, and that was against my 5th guideline. I tried to stand up, but the female protested:

"Hey. No, no, no, no. Come on, lay down, you hear? Please, you need to rest." – she said, speaking with her mouth twisted in a strange format. According with my data base, it was a smile. Nurses, like this female, were supposed to take care of sick or injured humans; those were their guidelines. However, I also had my own guidelines. When she tried to lay me down, I grabbed her risk and threw her into a wall, knocking her out.

I walked out the room and when outside, where the rays from the Sun were stronger. My pupils adapted instantly, in spite of they had never seen the light of the day. I kept walking until I heard the voice of one of my targets:

"Yumi!" – I turned around and spotted Stern, Belpois and Della-Robia. They all looked at me.

"Guess you're feeling better." – said Della-Robia.

"You scared us." – informed Stern, with a smile, as the female Perraudin had.

"Tell us what happened." – said Belpois.

I said nothing. If I tell them the true, I would be failing two of my guidelines, possibly all of them. I walked away, expecting them to follow me into the Scanner Room. I felt and hand lying on my right shoulder:

"You sure you're OK?" – asked Stern, the one who had put his hand on my shoulder. If I didn't respond, they would get suspicious and the mission would be ruined. I forced my throat, lungs and lips to work on the communication pattern that human called 'talking'.

"Yeah!" – I said putting a hand on my forehead. That single first word took an amount of energy bigger than I expected. I decided to not talk too much.

"Really?" – asked Stern.

"Tell us what happened on Lyoko." – demanded Belpois.

"Nothing, you hear. Come on, lets go over to the factory, now." – I answered, trying to perform my 3rd guideline.

"On you condition? That's a pretty crazy idea." – mumbled Stern. He must have thought that I was damaged. That must have been why I woke up in the infirmary and not in the Scanner Room, as it was suppose to.

"Hey, lesson." – said Della-Robia. Me and both the other males turned meet his gaze. – "We've got more important things to do, like eating, for example." – he then produced a sound with his respiratory system I head to the cafeteria, silently. My mission was to be executed as soon as possible. But, if I didn't acted like they probably wanted me to, they would be suspicious.

In the place called Cafeteria, Della-Robia was swallowing some organic compost down his digestive system. That organic compost was called food, a meatball to be more precise. I just stared, waiting for something to happen that would give a chance of performing my mission.

"And, you can't really remember what happened?" – asked Belpois, again.

"Do you think it could have come from the Scanners?" – suggested Stern – "A bug or something like that?"

"Unless it's XANA trying out a new way of attacking." – wondered Della-Robia, who stopped eating for a moment. That suggestion put me alert; they could find out _I_ was Master XANA's new way of attacking.

"I haven't the slightest idea. I wonder if all these Transfers are becoming a health problem." – replied Belpois. Just then, a young female human child walked by. She was Elizabeth Delmas, according with my data.

"Hey do I smell fish or just cheap perfume?" – said Della-Robia to the newcomer.

"You're such an idiot." – the female replied to Della-Robia. She had a different expression form every other I've seen so far: She was angry, according with my brain cells. – "Ulrich, what would you say we get together after school?"

"Get together with you?" – Stern said, with his hand in his chin, probably wondering about that. – "Very tempting but…NOT!"

He started to chuckle in a higher level, as Belpois and Della-Robia did. That confused me; why would he say it was tempting and yet he said 'not' like he hadn't even thought about it.

But then I thought. Perhaps I wouldn't be able to bring both Stern and Della-Robia to the Scanners. If I could get one of them out of the way, the other (and Belpois) would be easier to convince.

"…Making sure she can keep the competition as far away as she can." – then I noticed Delmas was speaking about me. I saw my chance.

"That's not true." – I looked at her and then back to Stern. – "Why don't you go out with her? She's really pretty."

The three males gasped. Della-Robia even dropped his metal utensil, a fork. Delmas looked at me, strangely:

"Hey, you wouldn't be…trying to make fun of me, would you?" – she asked, slowly. I looked at her, gave no answer and glared back at the two Lyoko Warriors in front of me. The female Delmas smiled, triumphantly:

"No? Great! Thanks a lot Yumi." – she started to go for another table. – "Hey Ulrich, I'll be waiting for you in the park, after school."

Stern looked at me, inquiringly:

"What are you trying to pull, anyway?"

That phrase caught me by surprise. He must have, somehow, find out that one of my guidelines was.

"Nothing. Go on. Go out with her. She's been waiting for this for ages. Go on." – I answered. Once again, I felt and hand resting on my right shoulder. Only this was holding me with a much stronger grip. I turned to see Jean-Pierre Delmas, the progenitor of the female Delmas.

"Miss Ishyiama, come to my office, right now!"

I didn't want to stay away from my targets, but if I didn't obeyed to the Headmaster, they would all suspect of me. Therefore, I obeyed.

"Yumi, this is unspeakable!" – the principal grunted, hitting his desk with his fist. – "Our poor nurse Dorothy is still very upset. How can you have done such a thing?"

I decided to say nothing. Delmas could make my mission even more difficult if I defied him.

"I'm giving you 2 hours of detention in the library to teach you a lesson."

I understood that was an order to get out, but I stood, keeping my monotonous glare.

"Well, go on!" – he demanded, pointing to the door. I looked at him and then turned to the door, without moving. This human was really a threat. If I obeyed, I would never be able to accomplish my mission before Aelita Hopper found the real Yumi. If I defied Delmas, he would probably do something worse than giving me a detention, risking the whole mission.

"There's something troubling you, Yumi." – the human said. It wasn't a question, though. He knew or suspected I was dealing with an indecision. However, he had no idea what it was. I looked at him and then back to the door. – "Care to tell me? I'm here to help you, it's part of my job."

Still looking at the door, I knew his gaze was right on me. I frowned; why did this man was now trying to 'help' me, as if I was having some sort of problem? A moment before, he was giving me a detention, now he turned to caring individual. My data base told me that teachers are, sometimes, as responsible for their students as progenitors are for their children. Why did he was worried about me? Was that sort of thing called 'emotion'. My information didn't give any details about that.

"Very well. Keep this up and I'll have to inform your parents about the way you're behaving." – he finally said, recovering his serious and severe attitude. I glared at him, frowning and losing my monotony.

"Not my parents." – I said, with a defiant voice. He stared at me, testing me, before replying:

"That's enough now, Miss Ishyiama." – he then looked at the phone. It was a devise used to communicate at long distances. He picked it up and I grabbed his hand, before he could make a call.

"What? Get your hand of the phone right now!"

"Not my parents!" – I repeated. If this human keep interfering, I would have to attack him too, despite of how the inconvenient that tactic caused me, last time.

"I won't warn you again, Yumi. If you keep this up, I'll suspend you!"

"NO!" – I raised the object, feeling the Eye of XANA glowing on my forehead. The human seemed scared, but I managed to knock him out, before he could do anything, by hitting him with the phone.

I stormed off the office before someone would come in. I managed to save the mission, but when that human woke up, everything would be ruined. I needed to get those two into the Scanners right now! Maybe, if I could convince Belpois, the other two would go as well. After all, he is the one who operates the Scanners and almost the leader of the group. In the way to his dorm, I saw Jim Morales. He said something but I didn't pay attention. There was no time for disguises when the mission was at stake.

When I entered Belpois' dorm, I learned that had just finished talking with Aelita.

"We have to go to the factory, now." – I said.

"Oh, no! Forget it. First of all, there's no reason to go and second you need to rest." – replied Belpois, turning back to the computer. I approached him:

"I have to go to the scanner room."

"No, nobody is going back to Lyoko until I give the order." – he denied. I changed my tactic: my data base said that some females used their charm into making the males do their bidding. – "It's too dangerous. I have some test to run first…"

I turned his chair, so his eyes would meet mine. Then I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's important, you hear. I have to go to the Scanner room." – I said in calm and silent voice. Belpois started to blubber:

"Hum…Yumi, what are you trying…" – I shushed him, and take of his glasses, seeing blood rising to his cheeks. That was a sigh of possible attraction. It was working. – "There."

"I…I'm not sure if it's a good idea…You should go home and get some rest." – he continued, stammering.

"Come on…take me…to the Scanner Room." – I pleaded, leaning forward to a kiss, a ritual where humans show their affection, by interlocking their lips.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…You should go home and take a bath…No, a cold shower, very cold shower…to calm you down." – he said nodding like a an idiot. Just then, the door opened and Della-Robia entered the room, along with Stern.

"Jeremie, hurry up, we've got to get going…" – both of them gasped when they looked at us. Belpois gasped as well. Stern left the room, immediately and Belpois went after him:

"Ulrich, wait…It's not what you think…I swear Ulrich."

"Bravo!" – said Della-Robia, upset. He left the room as well. Once again, the mission was going to be harder. Now, those two wouldn't even lesson to Belpois, even after I seduced him. I looked at the equipment on Belpois desk. What if I gave them a real reason to go to the factory…one that made them think Master XANA was launching an attack. I gave a small chuckle at that thought.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

I was walking back to Belpois room, after a History class. I had destroyed all of his equipment and by now they should already learned about that. However, they would think it was an attack performed by Master XANA. Now, they would have no choice but to go to Lyoko.

"…she's all alone on Lyoko and we can't get to her." – I heard Belpois yelping. I entered the dorm and asked.

"So, are we going to the Scanner Room?" – they all stared at me, suspiciously. They must have noticed I said 'Scanner Room' instead of 'Lyoko'.

"Yeah, let's go." – Belpois said silently. During all the way to the factory, the three humans were looking at me, paying attention to my every move. It was obvious they suspected me, but there was no problem. Since I managed to get them to the Scanner Room, my mission would e accomplished.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

"Go on, do your stuff, Jeremie." – said Della-Robia, walking into his Scanner. I was already in my Scanner and saw Stern staring at me, before he got into his Scanner.

"_Are you ready? Here we go."_ – Belpois spoke over the intercom – "_Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Odd. Transfer Yumi. Scanner Odd. Scanner Ulrich."_

As the blond human said the last two phrases, the doors of the other two Scanners closed.

"…_Scanner Yumi_." – when he said those words, the doors of my Scanner did the same, but I managed to stop them with my hands. I pushed the Scanner door open and exited the metal cylinder before Belpois said:

"_Virtualization."_ – I looked at the other Scanner and began to pull Stern's plugs. After a strong pull, they were disconnected. However, Belpois chose to appear and interrupt me. I dropped the plugs and touched my forehead, pretending to be tired. Maybe the human would believe me.

"Yumi, what are you doing?" – I frowned as I realized Belpois had discovered I wasn't Yumi Ishiyama. I clenched my fist and knocked him out. I walked to Della-Robia's Scanner and began to do the same process. I felt the glowing Eye of XANA on my forehead giving me some extra but not supernatural strength. Sparks were been unleashed by the plugs. This time the task was harder, because I already used my bonus power to unplug the first Scanner. Meaning, I could not use that superstrengh for now; I need to dowith a human girl's strength.

I stopped when I heard a sound of a metal door opening. I gazed at the human who had come out of Della-Robia's Scanner. In front of me the _real _Yumi Ishiyama was standing. I dropped the plugs, panting a little; Not only I could only unplug one Scanner, but also a new threat to the mission appeared. And, this time I was slightly tired.

"You now what? You look just like me when having a bad day." – she commented. I never understood why did humans made those commentaries when they were about to battle. Perhaps it was to distract the enemy. I raised my fists and leaned my back forwards. Ishiyama also adopted an attack position. We both stood there, until I felt a tickly on my forehead; my power was once again operational.

I kicked the girl, knocking her into one of the Scanners. She felt, but didn't give up. She was back on her feet in no time and was about to attack. I used my recently reacquired strength to pull out the opening which leaded to the Super Computer Room. I smirked as I used the iron opening as a shield. Ishiyama was once again thrown away. This was my chance.

However, I felt something pushing me and grabbing my ankle**.** Belpois had woken up when we were fighting! I tripped and fell into the opening.

For the first time in my existence, I screamed in panic. Panic. The emotion human were controlled by when something that would hurt or kill them was close. The sensation that enable them to fight back or do anything in dangerous situations. Fortunately, I managed to avoid my demise by grabbing border of the circle. I looked up and saw Belpois. That human had almost ruined my mission too many times.

Another emotion: anger. It made humans became irrational and doing illogical actions, when they were frustrated, but at a much higher level. I was worried that this contact whit human was affecting my mind. It didn't matter, anyway.

I grabbed the human by his upper clothing and lift him up, over my head. My intentions were obvious: throwing Belpois into the opening and to his certain death. I laughed, victorious. Master XANA would be pleased by me killing the Lyoko Warrior Leader.

"NOOO!" – screamed Ishiyama, probably worried by her companion. In the next second, Belpois was falling into the dark hole. That confused me, because I hadn't dropped him, yet. And, why suddenly I couldn't fell my hand or arms? I looked up and discovered my answer. My arms were turning into smoke and so the rest of my body. When I was a cloud of dark smoke I realized what happened: Aelita must have managed to deactivate the tower that kept me alive. As I felt my conscience fading away, I knew what was happening to me. The 'final step' that most living creatures feared:

DEATH.


	2. XANA, the enemy

**I have noticed that many people confound XANA's specters with XANA himself. But, let me tell you a few things:**

**A: XANA only appeared personally on episode 'Ghost Channel'. On the other episodes, he sends his monsters, specters or William.**

**B: The specters are actually XANA's creations and each one carries a fragment of his conscience, but ****NOT**** his personality. None of the clones or XANAfied people thinks or acts like XANA would, personally. **

**However, in this chapter, I will write about XANA POV, on episode 24, the only episode when he reveals himself. I'll have you know that I paid very attention to every detail of the episode 'GHOST CHANNEL' to write this.**

**MIND OF A SPECTER**

**Chapter 2: XANA, the enemy**

Episode 24: Ghost Channel

**Name: Program X.A.N.A.** (named after Anthea **X**avier **A**elita **N**athalie **A**délaïde Hopper);

Powers:

Technopathy, the ability to manipulate technology at will;

Possession of objects;

Materialization of Monsters on Lyoko;

Moderate control of Lyoko's fabric of Time and Space;

Slight manipulation of the Laws of Physic;

Creation of Clones of organic living beings on the Real World;

[Each Return to the Past makes the Program twice stronger than before, both physical and mentally.]

Personal Traits:

Free will;

Learn with my own mistakes;

Desire to be free from the SuperComputer;

Understanding of human emotions at a moderate level;

Others might be developed;

Directives**:**

Preserve my own existence;

Destroy Project Carthage; **[DONE]**

Eliminate every man, woman and child related to Project Carthage; **[DONE]**

Eliminate every individual with knowledge of Project Carthage; **[DONE]**

Destroy every official and unofficial prove that Project Carthage ever existed; **[DONE]**

Preserve the secrecy of my existence and Franz Hopper's relation to me;

REAWAKENING

This was it! A perfect plan that would finally get me rid of those obnoxious humans. Then, after Aelita Hopper's protectors were no more, I would complete my master piece monster that would drain Aelita's memories, along with the Keys to Lyoko. But, as humans say 'first things first'. The return to the past Belpois just triggered was all that I need to fulfill my program.

I felt myself grew stronger; the return to the past just happened! I concentrated and used my newest powers to capture Ishiyama, Della-Robia and Stern into my own Simulation Bubble. I did it! Now, it was time for me to enter, disguised as Belpois. Therefore, I would be close of my enemies, time enough to destroy them. Sure Belpois would notice their missing in the real World, but as far as I knew, he was too much scared to enter the Scanners. That was logical.

For an all month, I studied the environment of Kadic, to create a simulation of that school and its student and teachers. And, though it were just a simulation and there were some minor details I didn't pay close attention, it was more than enough to trick those three, because Belpois was the smartest one of their group.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

I was sat on a desk, with Stern and Della-Robia behind me, while playing with a pen. I frowned; if only Ishiyama was on the same class as those two, I could keep an eye on her, as well. But, no matter, because one of the suppose 'classmates' on her class, Mathias Burel, was actually a Megatank in disguise. In fact, the fake Suzzane Hertz on this same classroom wasn't a simulation like the other students, but a Blok, in disguise, as well. I very often used the names Della-Robia gives to my creations; after all, I'm not above learning from others, even if they're my enemies. The human-disguised-Blok was calling the students:

"Herb?"

"Present, ma'am!"

"Nicholas?"

"Yeah."

"Sissi?"

"Present!"

"Jeremie?"

"Present." – I announced. My servant kept calling the others, while Della-Robia leaned forward and whispered to me:

"Hey that was a great work, Einstein. You were never better. No hard feelings, hum?" – the human said, was trying to apologize. I remembered what I heard Della-Robia saying before, about Belpois 'letting the real pros get the job done'. I frowned even deeper; why would Della-Robia apologize? After all, he was telling the truth; Belpois was too afraid of getting into the Scanners.

"After what you said to him, before, it's no wonder he is sulking." – commented Stern.

"Odd, Ulrich!" – called the Hertz-Blok. The two answered:

"We're here, ma'am."

"I know that you're here. What I do not know is what you have to say to each other that is so interesting." – replied Hertz-Blok, with an obvious bit of sarcasm. That attitude was to be expected from a _real_ teacher. That servant of mine was following my orders to close of the letter. Maybe, I should correct that.

"They asked me if I noticed that, with all due respect, ma'am, the Brower equation on the black board is wrong." – I said, however, while talking about a mistake that wasn't actually in the board, I was giving some sort of 'telepathic message' to the monster. _**You didn't need to use that sarcasm. Remember this is all a farce, not a real science class.**_

"What?" – asked Hertz-Blok. However, 'her' message was: _**What do you mean, master?**_

"It's not wrong from a mathematical point of view…" – I continued explaining what didn't even need to be explained. After all, Hertz taught Science not Math. Stern and Della-Robia glared at each other, obviously confused by my words. _**Just because I told you to act just like Suzzane Hertz, doesn't mean you have to imitate her. Understood? Now, look at the board and confirm what I said about the equation so that Stern and Della-Robia won't get suspicious.**_

Hertz-Blok looked at the board, distractedly and humming to 'herself'. 'She' glared back at me.

"Well, yes…You're absolutely right. I'm sorry about that." – apologized orally the Blok. 'Her' reply to me was actually: _**Understood, master! It won't happen again, sir.**_ After that, the so called 'woman' turned to the board and began explaining mitosis. Right then, I received a message from the Mathias-Megatank, telling me about a small unpredicted event. But, no matter, it wasn't a big problem; so long it wouldn't happen again. I kept playing with the pen and sulking.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

**Meanwhile, on MEGATANK-MATHIAS BUREL pov:**

The simulated English teacher Kensington was reading a book, while explain this and that about English. How pathetic! Humans need hours and hours to learn something as simple as speaking in a different language. I would only need exactly three minutes and 21 seconds to learn how to speak English fluently, if I had to, by simply loading the information onto my memory. I looked at Ishiyama and saw that she wasn't even paying attention. She was instead drawing one of her Tessen Fans. Stupid primitive biologic organism!

But, that didn't matter. After all, my job was to fight and not to talk. I was a Megatank, has the human Della-Robia calls me. And, my current guidelines were to stay in the place of Mathias Burel and keep Ishiyama under sight. If only the girl knew that the only real life forms on this room were me and her…

My line of thought was stopped when I felt a disturbance. A glitch! The replica of the English Teacher shake, like radio interference and returned to stability in a matter of second. Unfortunately, a second was more than enough to Ishiyama notice that. I frowned, worried. That girl couldn't guess she wasn't really on Earth, but she was smart _enough_ to cause some trouble. After Belpois, she was the smartest human member of the Lyoko Warriors. I quickly sent a message to Master XANA to inform him of the problem. _**Master XANA, this is Mathias-Megatank! There was a small instantaneous glitch with the **_**Kensington-Replica. **_**Nevertheless, Ishiyama noticed it. Fortunately, she didn't do anything that might suggest she discovered everything. I ask for instructions.**_

The Master's answer was immediate. There was nothing to worry about (much). If I needed to breathe to survive, I would sigh in relief; there was a moment when I feared Master XANA would blame me for the problem and order for my Termination.

PARAGRAPH BREAK:

**Back on XANA's pov:**

I leaned back into a pillar, in the courtyard, while watching my two enemies talking. Since we were on a virtual reality of my own design, I could hear everything. However, that glitch damaged temporarily my connection to the Bubble, so I couldn't exactly understand what they were saying. Ishiyama approached Stern and Della-Robia. It was then things became interesting.

"Lesson…Something really strange happened in English class…" – she then proceeded telling the glitch she had seen. – "…like a broken record, but it only lasted a second."

"What? Do you think that could be XANA?" – suggested Stern.

"I don't know, Ulrich. But it sure wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on things." – said Ishiyama. I smiled, evilly, amused by the girls naivety. _Ishiyama, you will need to keep more than an eye on things, if you want to guess what's coming to you and your companions._

PARAGRAPH BREAK

In the cafeteria, I was typing on my lap top. Ever since I sat down, I began a search in the system support of the Bubble. Apparently, due to the fact that most of the characters inside are simulations and time was passing, the bubble was growing instable. More and more glitches will come, growing in number, magnitude and frequency. I installed an agent that would stop the minor and some medium glitches, but it wouldn't last long. I needed to relieve some of my monsters, so I dismissed the Hertz-Blok and the Mathias-Megatank, replacing their characters with simulated ones.

Just then, I heard Della-Robia mocking Elizabeth Delmas' about the color of her shirt. It was then I realized that Delmas favorite shirt was pink and not yellow. I had done a mistake! Frustration, an emotion I usually felt when those Lyoko Warriors destroyed my plans, filled my mind. However, I fought the urge to yell. It wouldn't do for me if I lost my temper in front of them.

Suddenly I felt a pulse. A glitch just occurred and right where those three were! Everybody repeated their actions and those three couldn't help but notice. Confused, the three looked at me. They must have realized that I was the only one (besides them) that didn't repeat their own actions. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but give them a small wicked smile.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

Della-Robia and Stern were following the fake Jim Morales, who was actually one of my Bloks. The other 'students' were all simulations; none of them was either the real kids or monster in disguise. I didn't need monsters taking the places of humans who weren't my enemies' superiors. They were all in uniforms…

Wait, UNIFORMS! Rage again emerged on my virtual senses. Another mistake! I had just realized that Kadic School doesn't have uniforms for Physical Education! A moment was enough for me to calm down. In fact, there was no motive to be furious. My enemies didn't pay attention to the details. Apparently, they believed it was some new school rule.

I was sat on the bleaches, typing and trying to make the Simulation Bubble more consistent. Ishiyama was watching the class making an exercise, on the other side of the bleaches.

"Hey, watch what you're doing! I saw you!" – yelled the phony Herb Pinchon at the fake Nicolas Poliakoff, kicking the blond with his puny leg. I then felt another pulse. Another inconsistency! The two figures repeated their actions.

"Hey, watch what you're doing! I saw you! I'll show you what it feels like…"

"It happened again." – said Ishiyama, sitting. – "And it's happening all the time!"

The girl then looked at me, after Jim-Blok instructed:

"Keep going on your own!"

Ishiyama got up, with her book bag, walked towards me and said:

"There are weird things happening! Any news from Aelita?"

"I'm having difficulties in contacting her. I have no idea if there is an activated tower or not. But, as might as still there, we'll have to move in." – I replied softly, without taking a break from my work.

Ishiyama changed the topic, quirking an eyebrow, in suspicion.

"Hey, how come you're not doing PE, Jeremie?"

"Jim agreed to excuse me."

"He did?" – her eyes went wide, in pure stunning. – "That's weird. You're not exactly a star athlete."

"You've got to know how to handle him." – I smiled, taking my eyes from the laptop and looking at Jim-Blok. By now, only Stern and Della-Robia were doing pushups. The hologram students had stopped.

"36…37…keep going!" – the Blok commanded. I sent a message to my servant:

**"**_**Pay attention to the students-Replicas, you useless pile of digital dust! They're not doing pushups. Fix the problem, before these three suspect something, now!"**_

The Blok in disguise looked at me, stupidly and waved. His telepathic reply was, nevertheless, very clear:

**"Yes, right away, Master XANA!"**

I turned my gaze back to Ishiyama, who was staring at me, untrustingly.

"Not like them." - then, I just returned to my work. Although, the girl was the cleverest enemy, besides Belpois and Aelita, it was easy to trick her. Not a major problem to my superior conscience, of course. Ishiyama walked away, mumbling a single word:

"Incredible."

I kept working on the stability of the Simulation Bubble. Soon after, a scan showed something unusual. Someone (I had a pretty good idea who) hacked into the Bubble system and recorded the whole scene of the Physical Education class.

"Aelita Hopper." – I looked at the 'sky' and smirked. By now, she and Belpois must have discovered a sound wave from the Bubble. Oh well, no big deal! The only person who could interfere with my plan was…Belpois, the coward who would never enter the Scanner.

But, then, something snapped on my mind. What if Belpois would care more about the safety of the human race than his own safety? If he valued more the world as he knew it, he would go to Lyoko?

Caution alerted me to play safe. I return to my, or rather, Belpois' dorm.

"Aelita and Belpois, you can try to stop, but the outcome will be the same, no matter what!" – my words were directed to those two, though I was well aware they could not hear me.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

One of the security cameras detected an intruder. A presence that had been virtualized inside the Bubble itself. A window opened on the screen, showing the unexpected guest: Belpois. He was running to the school.

"Here he is, at last." – I summoned Jim-Blok. He arrived at the room, in not time. However, his eyes had no pupils and his skin was grey. Obviously, he had adopted a less human from, since keeping the disguise perfect was one of the factors that were causing the inconsistencies on the Bubble.

"We've got a visitor, 'Jim'. Go after Belpois and make him wish he had never come to this world."

"As you wish, Master!" – the phony Jim exited the room. Something else demanded my attention. The security system of the Bubble informed that another presence was coming, but now on the outside of the Bubble.

"Aelita? … Sorry, but you can't join the party." – I typed a few keys and locked the Bubble. Now, no one could enter or exit it. – "Now, let's see how are my 'friends' doing?"

A new window opened and revealed Stern communicating with Ishiyama on the cell phone. They had discovered something wasn't right.

"At last! Perhaps they are not so simple minded as I thought."

_"… I'll see you in the park, OK? We'll go to the factory, I'll warn Jeremie." _– Stern said_._

_"No, not Jeremie. Just Odd, you and me, OK? Let's leave Jeremie out of it, this time…Err…Ah…I have my doubts. See ya!" _– she replied and hang up.

I frown. So, not only they suspected of my involvement strange events as well, they suspected of 'me'. That Ishiyama girl was smart! Smarter than I knew.

Patience. At least, Belpois was been entertained. But, to make sure nothing would go wrong, I summoned two other Bloks, which would take on the forms of Herbe Pinchon and Nicolas Poliakoff. They were now spying the three Lyoko Warriors, at the forest.

"I've got you! Soon, I won't have any more obstacles." – I chuckled lightly. Soon, I would be rid of those brats and then, from my imprisonment on the SuperComputer. Now, it was time for me to go to the factory, using my own Teleportation capabilities.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

"I don't understand. There's no link." – said Ishiyama, sat on the chair, with Stern and Della-Robia on her right and left, respectively. – "It's like Lyoko didn't exist anymore."

"And that might be exactly what has happened." – I said, loudly, to make my entrance. The three humans looked at me, puzzled. They obviously didn't believe that _Jeremie _would be in the factory, when they didn't trust him.

"Jeremie!" – said Stern.

"Jeremie, but what are you doing here?" – Ishiyama questioned, somewhat nervous.

"I've got a message from Aelita, that a tower has just been activated. She said something about a program to erase Lyoko. I haven't heard from her since." – I announced. This was just too easy. If I told them Aelita was in danger, they would enter the Scanner, without a second thought. Love and friendship. Those bonds were what made humans blind to the danger and logic. In fact, why would I, XANA, want to erase Lyoko, if I was still stuck to the SuperComputer? The destruction of Lyoko, for now, meant my own destruction. But, those foolish humans were too simple minded to understand that.

"OK, we got to check this out, Yumi." – advised Stern.

Ishiyama frown and raised a hand to silence Stern.

"Wait a minute." – the Japanese girl crossed her arms, and quirked and eyebrow. – "If the link has been cut, how do you intend to send us there?"

"I created a new access protocol. All we need now are the Scanners." – I answered, monotonously.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" – asked Della-Robia. The fools! I was finally ending up victorious and those three were walking to their deaths. A cruel smiled formed on my face; however, that didn't go unnoticed to Ishiyama, who was frowning deeper than before.

"Hold it, Odd. I'm not too sure of this."

"What's wrong with you? Look, it's Jeremie, Yumi." – I said, giving her a small smile. This Japanese girl was getting to suspicious for my linking! I vowed that, once I finally escaped from the SuperComputer, I would begin my attacks on Japan.

"We've got to get moving. What if Lyoko does get erased? Have you thought about Aelita?"

That's right, Stern. Use the worries of Ishiyama about her female friend to make her follow you and Della-Robia. Ironically, you will be helping your enemy winning, German.

"Look, you've got to believe me. But, if you have any doubts, let Ulrich and Odd be transferred before you…" – I frowned when the lift doors opened. Ishiyama and the others looked at the newcomer, stunned. It was Belpois!

'_Darn those three incompetent Bloks! They couldn't even catch a weakling who has never fought in his whole life.'_ – I yelled on my mind.

"Yumi, you're right! It's a trap!"

Just what I needed! Not only Ishiyama suspected, but Belpois arrived to ruin everything. However…that might play on my favor, after all. My mind just completed a new strategy, to trick those three into believing me.

"Don't go!"

"XANA, is that the best you can do? A cheap imitation to delay us?" – I snarled. If I made the three Warriors believe their friend was the imposter and the one who was causing the instabilities, maybe I could convince them to get to the Scanners.

"He's lying. The phony is there. It's him!" – Belpois pointed at me. – "Everything here is phony."

Ishiyama, Stern and Della-Robia, who had been looking either at me or at Belpois, stared now at their companion, puzzled.

"You never came back from your last trip. You're in a virtual world created by XANA."

"That would explain all the inconsistencies." – proposed Ishiyama. That girl was really getting on my nerves.

"Of course, XANA can make mistakes, too. He only has theoretical knowledge of the real world." – I crossed my arms, aggravated, as Belpois continued. – "What he wants is to get you into the Scanners to get rid of you, once and for all!"

"That's totally absurd, XANA!" – I counterpoised. The three warriors looked at me now and Stern broke the silence.

"It's true, we have no proof that he's not the one who's lying, right? He could have created the inconsistencies, too."

"Exactly." – agreed Della-Robia, pointing at Belpois. The three fighters looked back at the Programmer. – "To holds us up, while Aelita and Lyoko are been erased forever."

"The only proof is that I'm here with you. You have to decide which one of us is lying." – replied the blond coward.

"And, it's not me! Assuming, as you claim, this world is virtual, you might tell us how you got here. We're listening, XANA." – I had managed to get Belpois into saying he had been virtualized, something that his friends knew he would never do, despite he had done it.

"I got here by the Scanner. I'm here in virtual form." – he answered, and I spotted sweat on his face, caused, probably by fear.

"You gave yourself a wig! Everybody knows that the real Jeremie wouldn't set foot into the Scanners. He would be much to frighten!" – It worked! Belpois gasped for he knew he had been disposed of any proves he was the real Jeremie Belpois! Now, these three idiots would dispatch Belpois and then, I could get them into the Scanners and annihilate them!

"And I'm sure he would go into the Scanners, if his friends were in danger." – declared Della-Robia.

"No doubt about that." – agreed Stern.

"Absolutely none." – finished Ishiyama.

Wait, what? Were these three completely irrational? How could they believe someone as weak and hopeless and that … that _human_ would come to save them. Didn't they at least have any common sense? Didn't they saw was not logical?

"But it's not logical, don't you see?" – I talked, before they turned against me. – "He's much to scared to even try! _**Blast! Darn my luck! **_Hum…**I**'m much to scare! If not, then why haven't I already done it?"

Curses! What I had just said didn't even make any grammatical sense! My voice was trembling of fear of been discovered. FEAR? I am XANA! I don't have irrational or unnecessary feelings like fear!

"I told you why; because he's not infallible. XANA's knowledge of people is only approximate." – continued Belpois.

"That's right, and as far as friendship goes it's not approximate. It's double zero. Good to see you, again, Einstein."

Belpois smiled, apparently happy. I, on the others hand, was out of control! That wasn't logical! Belpois was a coward and that was not logical, since he was on Lyoko! And, 'double zero' has no meaning. That wasn't logical!

"NO! It's not logical! NO!" – my disguise was over, but my plan wasn't. It didn't matter if it was logical or not! It's time to do what I should have done at the beginning! But, first, I should assume my true form. My orange colored aura glowed around my body and my skin turned pale as ice. My eyes had no pupils and my canine teeth grew. The glasses shattered and the hair spiked up. My body has now taller and thinner.

"Not logical! Not logical! Not logical!" - I began to float and raised my hand furiously. My enemies just stared both stunned and slightly scared. They should be, because my true form was the last thing they would ever see.

I summoned my three Bloks (in the zombie form of Morales, Pinchon and Poliakoff) for one final task. They appeared behind the three Warriors and held them captive. And, now Belpois! That cursed Programmer was mine!

The ground beneath Belpois cracked violently and cables rose from the crack, wrapping themselves around Belpois, like anacondas. The boy screamed in pain, as his weak body was been smashed. I could have killed Stern and the others right in the beginning, but I always enjoyed toying with my enemies, before killing them. But, that didn't matter. Victory was mine, now. I chuckled with my true voice:

"YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!" – I chuckled again, delighted! In a few second, Belpois would be crushed, like the insignificant insect he was. However, something stopped me. It was a melody. It took me and instinct to realize it was Aelita's Creativity! The Bubbled began to grow more and more instable. The daughter of Hopper was going to destroy the Bubble! I had to escape, before I was destroyed as well. Screaming, in pain, anger and frustration, I disappeared.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

I reappeared back on Carthage, the unknown Sector and my home. Frustration was the only thing I could feel! Belpois and Aelita managed to ruin everything! By now, my army of Bloks was at the Ice crater, where my enemies were. I knew those Bloks wouldn't beat them, but it was the only I could think of to unleashed some of my anger.

Next time it would be different. Next time, I would win.

HIBERNATION


	3. XANAKisser, the divider

**I have noticed that many people confound XANA's specters with XANA himself. But, let me tell you a few things:**

**A: XANA only appeared personally on episode 'Ghost Channel'. On the other episodes, he sends his monsters, specters or William.**

**B: The specters are actually XANA's creations and each one carries a fragment of his conscience, but ****NOT**** his personality. None of the clones or XANAfied people thinks or acts like XANA would, personally. **

**However, in this chapter, I will write about the very FIRST Polymorphic Specter (who happens to have no specific name). Need I remind that, XANA-Yumi was a specter, but she couldn't change her appearance at will, or shooting electricity from her hands. Plus, she didn't had that electrical voice, since she was just a prototype.**

**And, now, just note that XANA-Kisser might seem a little OC. But, I promise it won't happen again.**

**Let me inform you that the Polymorhps identify the Lyoko Warriors by the following names:**

Della-Robia aka The Beast;

Stern aka the Samurai;

Belpois aka the Programmer;

Aelita;

Ishiyama aka the _Geisha_.

* * *

**MIND OF A SPECTER**

**Chapter 3: XANA-Kisser, the Divider**

Episode 43: XANA's kiss

BORN

I was ready for my mission. Inside an electrical out let, I managed to hear what Stern and Della-Robia were saying, though I had no hears yet. They had just come inside the shower room, while Belpois had left:

'_Speaking of hot chocolate, I gotta get moving. I got a date with Heidi._' – Della-Robia spoke.

'_You gonna give her your croissant?' _– that was Stern.

'_You must be joking. A guy has got to eat, doesn't he?' –_ replied the scrawny human. It was time for me to get out my hiding place. Sensing no other complex life form, but a spider on the floor, I leaked out of the out let and floated-slidedout of the room. That little conversation gave me all the information I needed: the identity of Della-Robia's female mate.

Today, Master XANA would be victorious, for I would succeed in what my predecessor, XANA-Yumi, had failed. Not only I was more powerful than her, but I was also what my master called 'A Shape Shifter', abridged SS.

**(A.N.: Remember, it was Jeremie that invented the name 'Polymorphic Specter', not XANA. The villain obviously must have invented a different name)**

I could change my appearance at will, disguising myself from any enemy. Even though, I'm not the first impersonation of a human that Master XANA has sent, I'm the first Shape Shifter, and I would be successful!

I took the form of the Programmer and ran out of the building. My radar didn't pick up the presence of someone that could wreck my mission. Outside, I saw Heidi Klinger, the blond female human Della-Robia was supposed to meet. She was sitting at the entrance of the cafeteria and she had her back turned to me. The girl finally looked at me and I quirked both my eyebrows, slightly impressed. I couldn't deny the fact that she was pretty. Although, her beauty didn't caused me to have any emotion.

Beauty was illogical, I knew that very much. But since my mission demanded me to have a moderate comprehension of emotions, my database included detailed files of that. This world was as strange to me, as it had been to XANA-Yumi. In fact, _she _didn't even know how to _behave _like a human. But, I was far more developed than she.

"Hey, Jeremie! You haven't seen Odd, have you? He promised he would have breakfast with me." – she said, smiling. Just then, the Samurai and the Beast appeared on the other corner of the cafeteria. Perfect timing.

I grabbed Klinger by her shoulder and leaned her forward, as I leaned forward, too, and closed my eyes. I let her go then and looked at my enemies. They both (especially Della-Robia) looked dumbfounded and shocked. Good!

I smirked and ran away. First step complete! Pity I couldn't say goodbye to Heidi.

'_Wait…did I just called that human by her first name? Like I knew her? What am I thinking? I'm here to accomplish a mission, not to get to know humans!' – _I said to myself, mentally. My mission might seem strange to a creature which doesn't have a big emotional development, but it was logical:

**Name: ****XANA-Kisser**;

**Capabilities:**

**1)**Supernatural strength, speed and fitness;

**2)**Shooting blue electricity from my hands, to attack an enemy;

(Note: Using this skill takes a lot of energy.)

**3)**Shape Shifting;

**4)**An internal radar that shows if the human impersonated is nearby;

**5)**I have a red vision, with the Eye of XANA on the middle of the frame;

**6)**In order to complete the mission, I comprehend human emotions, slightly;

(Note: These capabilities cause me to have some defects:

**1.**An electrical voice, that can be disguised with little effort;

**2.**Pixalizing, caused by the accumulated instability of my spectral body or when I suffer from an attack;

**3.**I have the Eye of XANA marked on my forehead, that only appears when I'm using my power. The insignia can also appear on my pupils, like in a XANAfied human)

**Guidelines:**

**1)**Preserve my disguise;

**2)**Preserve my own existence;

**3)**Transform into a different Lyoko Warrior (with the possible exception of Odd Della-Robia), at the time;

**3.1)**Kiss someone other than the imitated target's lover;

**3.2)**Make sure the target's lover is watching the performance of line 3.1);

**4)**Don't let ANYTHING interfere or stop me from accomplishing my mission.

I entered into the girls' toilet, making sure nobody saw me, on my current disguise. If I was seen entering that room, disguised as a boy, Morales would be here soon to ruin my mission. No girl was there. It was time to prepare myself form the next phase. I looked at the mirror and closed my eyes:

"Well, here it goes…" – I mumbled before grunting. My forehead began to burn (the Eye of XANA was activated). Apparently, transforming directly from a human form into another was slightly painful. I changed back into the black part-gaseous part-liquid substance I was made of. In two seconds, I was taller and more curvaceous**. **Now, in the form of Yumi Ishiyama, I went outside and set out to find one of Ishiyama's classmates.

I looked at the small house, where the vending machine was stationated. Inside, there was Mathias Burel. Unfortunately, Stern wasn't nearby. But, then I glanced at my right. William Dunbar was walking up to me. If he saw Ishiyama kissing some other guy that's not Stern, he would tell the German. After all, they might be rivals, but they were not enemies.

I walked up to Burel, who noticed my presence, by seeing my shadow. He was about to push a button of the machine:

"Hey there, Yumi. Say, you wouldn't have the answers to the math quiz, would you?" – the human asked with a slow voice. I looked over my shoulder, making sure Dunbar was passing by. I looked back at Burel and grab his head.

"Yumi, wha…" – I silenced him with my mouth, literally. The weakling human barely could stand up when I did so. I heard someone gasping; it was Dunbar, surely. I let Burel go; his glasses were askew. I got out of there, under Dunbar's astonished gaze. Burel smiled pathetically and said:

"Wow! I sure am glad I brushed my teeth, this morning!"

My eyes went wide after hearing what he had just said:

'_If that's true, that would mean Burel doesn't brush his teeth often! Mathias, you're not _the only one_ who is glad that you brushed your theet, today_' – then, my eyes went wider. – '_Again? I called another one of these humans by their first name?'_

PARAGRAPH BREAK

Inside the cafeteria, I was hiding in an electrical outlet, hearing everything what the Lyoko Warriors were saying. Triumphantly, I watched the profits of my work:

"Lesson, I don't know what all this is about, but I swear to you…" – Belpois began to 'explain', but Aelita just left the table. Then, Della-Robia did the same. Apparently they already distrusted Belpois. If I had a mouth in my current form, I would be smirking.

'_Serves you right, Belpois, for all the ties you ruin Master XANA's plans!_' – I thought, though I wished I could say that on the human's face.

"Guess you won't be needing this croissant. Later." – Stern finally spoke. Surely, Stern didn't know about 'Yumi' having kissed Burel. Otherwise, he would be sulking.

Outside, Dunbar showed up and began to talk to Stern. Just then the _Geisha_ appeared:

"So, you really like Burel, do you?" – asked Stern.

"He's a nice guy. Why?" – Ishiyama asked.

"How does he kiss?" – questioned Stern.

"Kiss? How should I know?"

"Cut out the acting, Yumi! William saw you." – snapped the Samurai.

"I saw you!" – supported Dunbar.

'_Three down, two more to go!'_ – Those were my thoughts exactly. It was time to act, again. And, next victim would be Stern. And, I already had a pretty good hunch of who I would be kissing next. I moved inside the cables, until I found an outlet to the Boys Room. Fortunately, nobody was there.

"Grrrr!" – I growled, performing another shape shift. This time, the pain was less. The Eye of XANA lighted up, symbolizing my power's activation. I felt myself shrinking and my limbs and chest became solider and more muscled. I opened my eyes and the reflection of Ulrich Stern was looking at me, with clenched teeth. I went outside and began looking for Elizabeth Delmas.

It didn't take long. She was leaning against a pillar of the house of the vending machines. Delmas appeared to be pouting, while Pinchon was trying to convince her of something; it didn't matter, though.

"Ah, speaking of the Devil, there he is! Why don't you ask him yourself?" – Pinchon said, when he saw me approaching. Belpois and Ishiyama were passing by. I walked up to Delmas and put my arm around her neck and kissed her.

'_Strawberries? Hmm … I like this flavor._' - I lasted the kiss a little longer than the others. If had the chance, I would get some strawberries, in this school. I finally let go of Delmas (who didn't seem to realize what had just happened) and looked at the _Geisha _and the Programmer. They were both stunned, but Ishiyama seemed particularly revolted. I ran away from there, in case the real Stern appeared.

From afar, I heard Delmas mocking Pinchon:

"What were you saying?"

PARAGRAPH BREAK

I was hiding inside an electrical outlet of Belpois' classroom. The class was having a History lesson. In my hiding place, I could hear perfectly what Belpois and Stern were talking about. Apparently, my mission was going fine; they were starting to distrust each other.

Then, their teacher asked something:

"Ulrich, when did Gulime die?" – the all class turns to Ulrich. I choose to play close attention; curiosity was getting the best of me, as humans say.

"Hum…Well…at the end of his life?" – answered the Samurai, stammering.

My shapeless spectral body began to buzz…Though I didn't had a mouth or lungs on my current form…I was snickering! I had to admit, that was actually funny, and I wasn't the only one who had that opinion. Every student had burst out laughing. With the exception of Stern, what so ever.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

I was now outside, close by the cafeteria, in the form of Ulrich Stern. There was nobody around; obviously, the students were all in class. I had to wait until they could come out to take the last step of my mission: transform into Aelita and kiss a male human that's not the Programmer. While I was deciding who that human would be…

"Stern, what are you doing here? You should be in class!" – a deep voice got my attention.

'Darn it. It's Morales!' – I muttered under my breath. If he took me to my 'class', everybody would notice there were two Ulrich Sterns! My mission would be ruined. I ran away. There was only one thing to do, to make this buffoon leave me alone.

I checked my radar. Morales was going to 'intercept' me, on the other side of the cafeteria. Or so he thought. The feeling of power flowered on my forehead, again. In a blink, I was transformed into Yolanda Perraudin. I walked to Morales, who was still looking for 'Stern'.

"Oh, is that you, Yolanda?" – I gave no reply. The sooner I was rid of this fool, the better. He smiled friendly, though I couldn't care less about that. I grabbed him by his ears and smooched him in the cheek. The idiot seemed happy about it.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

The last step of my mission. I had just taken the form of Aelita. The bell rang and Belpois just walked out of the class. He waved at me, probably still trying to make up with Aelita. One of her classmates, Nicolas Poliakoff was close by. I gazed at him and grabbed his face, kissing him.

'_Phew…disgusting. It tastes like old garlic!_' – I had never eaten old garlic, but the sensorial data on my brain-database contained the exact description of every flavor in the world. I pulled off immediately and glared at the Programmer. He was stupefied.

'_Mission accomplished!_' – I thought victoriously, before breaking into a run. I ran to the girls bathroom; it was time to return to master XANA. There was nobody inside. I transformed back into a smoke specter and entered in the closest electrical out let.

HIBERNATING

PARAGRAPH BREAK

RE-AWAKENING

My Master had a new job for me. Belpois had just found my involvement on the kissing. Though my mission was a success, it didn't last, because the Programmer find out the truth. Darn that Super Scan he created! I must to return to the Real World and find Aelita Hopper.

**New Guidelines:**

**1)**Preserve my disguise;

**2)**Preserve my own existence;

**3)**Transform into the human Jeremie Belpois;

**4)**Find the human Aelita Hopper and inform her about Master XANA's previous plan;

**4.1)**DON'T, in any circumstance, inform the human Aelita Hopper about my true identity;

**4.2)**Convince the human Aelita Hopper to go to Lyoko, alone, with the said purpose of deactivating my tower;

**5)**Virtualize the human Aelita Hopper on Lyoko, alone, to deliver her to the Scyphozoa;

**6)**Don't allow ANYTHING interfere or stop me from accomplishing my mission.

I exited from the cables close by the Hermitage. As soon as I hit the floor, I transformed into Jeremie Belpois. I walked inside the Hopper's abandoned house and head for the daughter's room. Aelita was wiping on her old bed.

"Aelita!" – I called out, with my hands on my pockets, like Belpois used to do. She looks at me and replies in a sad, yet surprised tone:

"Jeremie!"

"I'm really sorry, Aelita." – I 'apologized', closing my eyes.

"You're not angry with me, anymore?" – she asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, I've figured it out" – I said, walking close to her and looking out the window. – "You see, XANA was using a polymorph that can change its appearance at will."

"So, you didn't really kissed Heidi?" – she asked.

"No, so let's go, now." – I answered, holding out my hand and smiling at her. – "We have to get to the factory, fast."

I helped her up. My strategy was working; she was buying it! But, to make sure she wouldn't distrust me…

"You're not too upset with me, are you?" – I leaned forward and kissed her.

'_Hum, I guess she ate croissant with hot chocolate. I like it!_'

I pulled away and gazed at her. Aelita seemed surprised, but pleased, as well.

'_Score! Just getting to the factory and Master XANA would be free._'

I ran outside of the house, holding her hand. But, luck wasn't on my side. I was so oblivious with the idea of victory that I failed to notice the approach of a certain blond human, on my radar. The other Lyoko Warriors appeared, Belpois been the first.

"Aelita!" – the Programmer called.

"Jeremie? But…" – Aelita asked, looking at him and then at me.

"It's XANA! He made a clone of me to trick you!" – technically, I wasn't lying. Master XANA did send a Shape Shifter, or rather, _me_.

"Don't lesson to him, Aelita. He is XANA." – I just placed my hands on my hips. These humans could never tell the difference between the master and one of his creations.

'_How stupid can humans be? They never treated XANA-Yumi by '_XANA', _after seeing trough her disguise. I would love to yell at him '_I'M NOT XANA, I'M A SHAPE SHIFTER SENT _BY_ XANA, DARN IT!'_, if that didn't blew my disguise.'_

Right then, the remaining three Warriors arrived. Della-Robia was the first speaking:

"OK, if I get this straight, one of these two is the Poly-_talking_ Clone, right?"

"The Polymorphic Clone, Odd." – the _geisha_ muttered.

'_Wait…did she say «Polymorphic Clone»?_'

Belpois held out his hands, pleading:

"Aelita, trust me."

"Don't listen to him! I'm the real Jeremie. You know I am; I kissed you." – I insisted. Aelita looked down and then let go of my hand, joining Belpois and the others.

"That's right. The _real _Jeremie would not have kissed me like that."

Darn it! Nothing to it, now. I showed the Eye of XANA on my eyes and grabbed Aelita by her wrist.

"Get your hands off her!" - Belpois and Della-Robia launched at me, throwing me into the ground.

My vision became overloaded with warning signs telling me that Pixalizing was taking effect. Since I had suffered from an attack and wasn't ready, my body need to reestablish stability. I couldn't move in the next few seconds.

"Quick, to the factory!" – said Aelita.

"You guys go on. I'll take care of him." – said The Beast.

I managed to recover stability and stood up. The Pixalizing was gone, and so were the enemies, except for Della-Robia. He was now adopting a fighting position. Time for a Shape Shifting.

I summoned my powers and transformed into the History teacher, Gilles Fumet. No, his glasses and neckerchief would only disturb my movements. Perhaps, someone with less and lighter clothing…Suzzane Hertz, maybe.

No, no, too old and scrawny. Better choice would be Jim Moralés. I changed from Hertz into Moralés, to which Della-Robia muttered:

"Oh, no, not the big though guy." – I moved rapidly, leaving an afterimage behind me. I was going to punch Della-Robia on his face, but he managed to avoid it. However, he didn't count on me punching him on his back, knocking him into the stairs of the Hermitage.

'_Wow, it sure feels great to spank this brat!'_ – but he quickly recovered and moved away from my fist. The fight continued, taking us inside the Hermitage. Della-Robia was a weakling, but a _fast _weakling. He almost never attacked, but he almost always avoided my attacks. His fighting was more defensive than offensive. Inside the entrance corridor of the Hermitage, there wasn't much room to fight, especially for me, with the body I had.

"Hey, big guy, are things a little tight for you, in here?" – Della-Robia asked, with a mocking smile.

"Not at all." – I replied, smirking. I changed back into Ulrich Stern, which made my opponent's smile disappear. I kicked Della-Robia, hardly, knocking him into the couch. He was getting tired, while I hadn't even time to warm up.

"Hey, XANA ('_There they are calling me _XANA _again! My name is XANA-Kisser, darn it!_') if you're gonna keep changing appearances like that, do me a favor and turn into a wimp, next time." – Della-Robia asked, panting.

'_So you want a wimp, hum? That can be arranged.' _I knew the perfect wimp! Let's see what Della-Robia has to say about my choice. I closed my eyes for a moment and turned into Odd Della-Robia for my first time.

"Oh, no. Not him. I know this guy" – the human commented. – "I know this guy: small but though."

I jumped kicked him into the fireplace, where old book were laid, along with dust. By now, The Beast was a mess. He wouldn't last longer.

"What did I tell ya?" – he asked before passing out.

'I could kill him, right now, but with those kids getting to my tower… There's no time to lose. Now, it's not only my mission that is at stake!'

I ran outside of the house, sensing the insignia on my eyes bursting with power, due to my jitters . If that tower was shut down, with me on this world, I would be as dead as XANA-Yumi.

While I ran with unnatural speed to the factory, I thought about what Ishiyama said, earlier. '_Polymorphic Specter, hum…That sounds like a good name. Better than «Shape Shifter». I should inform Master XANA about this.'_

I arrived at the factory and entered the elevator. New information was giving by my Master: the _Geisha_ had just been de-virtualized.

**New Guidelines:**

**1)**Preserve my disguise;

**2**Preserve my own existence;

**3)**Descend to the Scanner Room and lock the human Yumi Ishyama inside;

**4)**Transform into Yumi Ishiyama and go the Computer Lab;

**5)**Stay by the human Jeremie Belpois' side and wait for new orders.

I descended to the Scanner Room. When the lift stopped, I used a spark of electricity to lock the elevator door. Now Ishiyama wouldn't be a problem. I press the button to take me to the Computer Lab.

Another Shape Shift. I turned into a replica of Ishiyama, when the elevator door opened.

"…Forget about the monster, for now!" – instructed Belpois, worried. He glanced at me. – "You OK, Yumi?"

I simply nodded and walked closer, looking at the frame. Aelita's memory was been drained by the Scyphozoa, along with the keys to Lyoko. The Samurai was going to her rescue, but Master XANA had already deleted the bridge between Hopper's daughter and Stern. He wouldn't make… unless he had a vehicle!

"You got it, Ulrich!" – Belpois began programming the OverBike. '_**Don't allow him!**_' – Master XANA demanded. I put my hand on

Belpois' back, who said:

"Don't worry, Yumi. We'll manage."

'_Sure we will.'_ – I shocked the Programmer and slammed him into a wall. Then, I pick him up and throw him against the opposite wall of the Lab. If my life wasn't at stake, I would love to torture him further.

I sat at Belpois' chair ant typed frenetically:

"De-virtualization!" – the Eye of XANA and my electrical voice were noticeable. I was so frightened with the idea of dying that I was losing control over my 'defects'. But now, with the OverBike gone, Stern wouldn't be able to save Aelita and cause my disgrace. Nevertheless, as the fact that Stern was still on Lyoko made me nervous.

"It'll be better if I Materialize him." – I initiated Stern's Materialization. Meanwhile, Ishiyama arrived at the lab, through the lift.

"Jeremie? What did you do to him?"

"Yumi!" – both Ishiyama and me turned to the trap door. Della-Robia was here, as well.

"Odd, help me. It's XANA." – I spoke with my electrical voice. '_Darn my panic!'_

"You're not gonna believe this Polymorph, are you? – Ishiyama countered.

Della-Robia frowned and walked towards the _geisha_. Apparently, my problem wasn't giving me much trouble.

"Odd, no! Cut it out, pea brain. I'm the real Yumi!" – Ishiyama yelled.

"Yeah, right. You expect me to buy it. On 3, we pulverize you. 1…2…3!"

But, instead of attacking each other, they attacked…me! I hit the floor. Once again, my whole body was pixalizing, but now my frame was now in static. For my body to re-stabilize and my frame to repair the damage I had to wait a few seconds. Seconds that could cost my life!

I growled in pain as my functions returned.

"Jeremie, you've got to wake up!" – said Ishiyama, shaking Belpois. He woke up, headed to the frame and cancelled Stern's Materialization that I had just initiated. '_Blast, Belpois! If Stern saves Aelita, I'm doomed!_'

I called for all my energy. The Eye of XANA on my forehead pulsed more intensely than never. Both Ishiyama and Della-Robia were ready to fight me. I had to be quick and dispatch them!

"AAAHHHHH!" – I gave a war cry and kicked both my enemies against the wall. Della-Robia muttered:

"You're not feeling so great." – I got rid of Della-Robia and went for Belpois.

He was the one that discovered my existence, so he was the one who caused all of this. If it weren't for him, I would have nothing to fear about. So, _he _should be the one who was going to pay!

"Aelita, quick!" – I grabbed him and used all my electricity on him.

"If I'm going down, you're going down, too!" – I grunted. I increased the voltage, giving Belpois more reason to scream in pain…But then, the electricity vanished.

My tower was deactivated! My feet, my legs, my chest, my arms my head, my neck…all of me lost all the feeling. I turned into smoke and disappeared.

'_So, this is dyeing? It's like falling into pixalizing, only with no sensation at all…_' – those were my last thoughts as my body and mind disappeared for ever.

DEATH


End file.
